Entry-level workers need more experience than ever to get a job, and it could upend one of the biggest rules about writing a résumé

Mark Abadi

Dec. 6, 2018, 01:51 PM

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Most résumé coaches and career experts say your résumé shouldn't exceed one page in length, especially if you're an entry-level worker.

But after research showed that hiring managers prefer two-page résumés regardless of the candidate's job experience, some experts are acknowledging the benefits of making your résumé longer.

The reason for the change in opinion may be in part because today's entry-level jobs often require multiple years of work experience.

The days of one-page résumés may be numbered.

Although conventional wisdom holds that young job seekers should limit their résumés to a single sheet of paper, experts are slowly beginning to acknowledge the benefits of a second page.

In a recent experiment, résumé-writing service ResumeGo found that hiring managers were more than twice as likely to prefer two-page résumés to those that are just one page. The results held up for managerial-level résumés all the way down to the résumés of entry-level workers — the group that is most cautioned against exceeding one page.

The surprising results could possibly be attributed to the different expectations for today's entry-level workers, said career-advice expert and consultant Amanda Augustine of TopResume.

"The theory was that the earlier you are in your career, the less information you’ll have to incorporate into this important document. So, naturally, as an entry-level professional, your goal should be to craft a one-page résumé," Augustine told Business Insider.

"From internships to co-ops to freelance gigs, students are securing work opportunities to explore career paths, build their skill set, and help them meet the one-to-three-years' experience requirements that many 'entry-level' jobs now demand," she told Business Insider. "They’re also more likely to have résumé boosters such as personal blogs or online portfolios, group projects, volunteer work, and relevant campus activities to share."

"If you have worthwhile information to share with employers that will boost your candidacy, you should include it, even if that means adding a second page to your résumé."

Dana Leavy-Detrick, a résumé coach with Brooklyn Resume Studio, said although she still recommends entry-level workers stick to one page, she's not surprised the general consensus is starting to change.

"A two-page résumé often makes sense as the best way to present a larger amount of information without sacrificing the readability," she told Business Insider. "Forcing the résumé onto one page will negatively impact the readability, but also encourage you to cut out details that might actually add value to your narrative."

Both experts cautioned, however, that entry-level workers shouldn't exceed one page if they don't have the work experience to back it up.

"If you’re new to the workforce and don’t have a lot of information to support your candidacy, filling your résumé with fluff to reach the two-page length can actually hinder your chances of landing a job," Augustine said.

"The real takeaway is that entry-level candidates should no longer feel compelled to shrink their résumé's font sizes and margins to meet a one-page limit. Instead, employers would rather review two pages of relevant information that is visually appealing than try to squint to read a one-page one that's crammed with tiny print."